I used to joke about Spurs, but not any more: League Cup preview

Spurs have done what most other clubs would love to do. They've found a company with football experience and they've been willing to invest. It doesn't hurt that the Managing Director happens to be a Spurs fan.

Imagine it for a moment; you love your football and your job is to manage money for a company that have a direct interest in something you love and it becomes one of the companies primary interests, so you can be involved on a day to day basis.

Okay, that might not exactly be the whole picture or how it happened, but wouldn't it be nice to have a multi-billionaire (Joe Lewis) who liked the way you did things and supported you. And it must be nice if you're a Spurs fan at the moment.

It hasn't been easy for them and it could quite easily crash around them, but I've got a feeling that Daniel Levy, even for everything that we are led to believe in the media, would be on top of it.

League Cup

Enough about Spurs, because that is the very reason why we can win tomorrow night. I'm not saying we will, but Spurs have an eye on something bigger than the League Cup and this could be to our advantage.

It would be easy to write that they've only lost one game this season and that it was to the team that we beat on the opening day of the season, but that isn't why we have a chance.

We have a chance because they're currently second in the table and Daniel Levy as well as André Villas-Boas know that this is the best chance in a very long time to break into the top four.

Three of the top four from last season have new managers and with new managers comes instability. Look at what is happening at Manchester United and I know some will say that I'm overreacting, but I still think there is as much chance they will finish outside of the top four as they will in it.

And that is why they spent all the Bale money on some real quality. They're taking a calculated risk on playing Champions League football next season and maybe even challenging this season.

I think by going for one of those a byproduct is automatic qualification for the Champions League and if I was a Spurs fan, while I'd be stand offish about getting it, I'd also fancy my chances.

But I'm not a Spurs fan and that is why I think they're going to rest a player or four tomorrow night especially as they have Chelsea at the weekend. But going back to pretending I'm a Spurs fan, if some players were rested and Aston Villa won tomorrow, I'd be disappointed but I'd be aware of the bigger picture and accept it as part of the process.

Preview

But it isn't going to be that easy, mostly because for the players that they might rest, we've got players not available. But that hasn't stopped me predicting a win in the past.

Yes, we've got players unavailable, but we've also got players desperate to play and we're at home, which might not be as advantageous as it once was, but for 90 minutes tomorrow they have an opportunity and that is a pretty good incentive.

And, let's be honest, this is our only realistic chance this season and I write that in the full knowledge that the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are still in the tournament.

So, my preview is this; we'll see some fight tomorrow and I fancy Spurs will come at us and you know what, that can only be good for us.